Many types of facilities require the occasional use of privacy blinds and screens to cover windows and other wall openings in rooms or other interior spaces where privacy is required or the window/wall opening otherwise needs to be temporarily covered. For example, prisons, jails and other correctional facilities include holding cells or other rooms where inmate body searches, interrogations or other private procedures are conducted. Windows must also be blocked occasionally in intake areas, bathrooms/shower areas and other locations where opposite sexes are in close proximity but personal privacy is required. By the same token, hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities commonly feature rooms where patient examinations and other medical procedures are performed. In such circumstances, the windows, doorways and other wall openings into the room or enclosed space should be covered to protect the privacy of persons inside. Windows must also be blocked occasionally in intake areas, bathrooms/shower areas and other locations where opposite sexes are in close proximity but personal privacy is required.
Opaque or translucent window coverings also have many applications which are not strictly related to privacy. For example, photographers commonly require light blocking window coverings for a darkroom. Movie theatres should be darkened while a motion picture is playing. Truck drivers who must sleep in their vehicles may require some type of screen for blocking the windows of the vehicle so that light is reduced and sleep is facilitated. In a correctional setting, effective direct inmate observation may require the use of “one way” glass. Currently, there are no known removable window screens that provide such a one way observational capability.
Conventionally, medical and correctional facilities and other institutions employ rolling hospital screens to cover windows and provide privacy as needed. Typically, a flexible screen is supported by a folding frame mounted on wheels or casters. When a window or wall opening needs to be covered, the rolling privacy screen is moved in front of the window. This normally provides incomplete or otherwise unsatisfactory privacy. The conventional folding screen is typically not configured to match the size and shape of a particular window or wall opening. Portions or one or more windows may remain exposed and visible from outside the room. In addition, the foldable screen usually includes gaps or openings between the adjoining screen components, which provides additional unwanted exposure through the covered window.
The known rolling/foldable privacy blinds used in prisons, hospitals and other institutions exhibit a number of additional disadvantages. Such screens typically employ metal or PVC pipes in their frame, which can be removed and used as potential weapons by inmates in a jail or other correctional facility. Typically, these screens are bulky and awkward to transport around the facility. They also require a considerable amount of space, both when being used and while in storage. When the privacy screen is set up in front of a window, the hallway can be blocked. Persons can trip over the rolling screen. When the screen is not in use, it takes up valuable and limited storage space. These types of screens also require tedious and time consuming assembly and frequently have to be repaired or replaced. Folding/rolling screens are obviously not feasible for use in blocking the windows of automotive vehicles or for other applications such as darkrooms.
Although previous window blankets and bug screens have employed magnets for mounting across a window, such known devices have been unsuitable for use as privacy panels both in correctional facilities and at outdoor accident and crime scenes. The conventional products can be awkward and time consuming to install, manipulate and remove. In addition, these screens lack versatility and cannot be supported either magnetically or by non-magnetic means such as mounting poles when nearby magnetically attractive metallic structure is unavailable.